The .KTW project is situated in a key urban location in Katowice, near the junction of the city’s main transport arteries running north to south and east to west. Construction of the towers began when the contemporary development plan, implemented in line with the concept known as the ‘axis of culture’, had already been clearly defined and realised through the Silesian Museum, the Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra building and the International Congress Centre. The “Cultural Axis” is a contemporary correction to the region’s historical urban planning principles, respecting the city’s planning decisions. The .KTW buildings, in a sense, honour and endorse this new direction of change.
The essence of our design for these new buildings was to continue the original principles and seek a landmark, but not to create a new icon for Silesia. The .KTW towers have filled the site formerly occupied by the Regional Directorate of State Railways Office Building – a high-rise designed by one of the most important local architects of the 1950s and 1960s, Jerzy Gottfried. A key aspect when looking at .KTW is realising that the decision to build high-rise structures was therefore made much earlier. It was, in a sense, dictated by the 90-metre-high DOKP building itself.
The architecture of .KTW forms a composition whose character reflects the stature of its prestigious location. The positioning of the towers facing Chorzowska Street and the Market Square from Korfantego Avenue ensures that the buildings provide a clear orientation for the new, functional centre of Katowice. On the north and west sides, the buildings adjoin Spodek Square, flanked to the north-east by the MCK building, forming a unified composition with them. The ground floors of .KTW are intended to complement the existing retail and dining spaces, which were lacking in this part of the city centre.
The new office and retail complex comprises two Class A buildings with three levels of underground car parking and landscaping. Building A, situated on the side facing the International Congress Centre, has been designed with 14 above-ground storeys, whilst Building B, on the side facing Aleja Roździeńskiego, has 31 above-ground storeys.
The aim of the project was to complement the cultural and leisure functions with a modern and functional complex of office and service buildings, offering flexible spaces for comfortable work and leisure activities after hours. We developed the design in accordance with current standards for Class A office buildings and based on the guidelines for BREEAM certification at the Excellent level. The buildings are environmentally friendly, as evidenced by, among other things, low energy consumption, low emissions, and the use of appropriate environmentally friendly building materials and technical equipment.
We were keen to create architecture that is restrained in form, rather than a dazzling or frivolous creation. We have given the new towers features that capture the characteristics of our perception of Silesia, from which we originate. The architecture employs simple, elegant and timeless means of expression, forming an individual and original spatial composition that responds to the local context. The buildings thus blend easily into their surroundings, yet they do not lack a certain edge, energy and dynamism. We have given them character by shifting the modules relative to one another and endowing them with an individual architectural form. The designed structure of the shifted blocks is the result of a successive, rising arrangement of the cuboid volumes of the Silesian Museum and the NOSPR. Furthermore, the form of .KTW, devoid of rounded shapes, was intended not to compete with the Spodek building.
The genesis of this project also lies in an attempt to find a contemporary form that corresponds to the function these buildings are intended to fulfil. We therefore balanced on the edge of the classical understanding of composition, thereby emphasising the phase of transformation Katowice is currently undergoing, and how strongly the forces associated with the development of new technologies, the potential of companies and the people working here influence the contemporary image of the city. .KTW also offers a fresh perspective on office space. Business in a different dimension, not just gazing at the city skyline from behind a glass façade, but offering a breath of fresh air thanks to balconies, terraces and greenery, which will soon complete the project. We hope that the architecture of the .KTW buildings will stand the test of time and become firmly rooted in the fabric of Katowice.
The biggest design challenge was setting the towers on foundations in an area where coal was being mined until recently. The second .KTW tower is currently the tallest building in Katowice, which is why we paid particular attention to the ground conditions. The project was a major architectural and structural challenge for our studio.
Project data
location: Al. Roździeńskiego 1, Katowice / Poland
architects: Przemo Łukasik, Łukasz Zagała
associate architects: Maria Jaksik-Fikus, Dawid Beil, Łukasz Pieszka, Aleksandra Nowak, Kuba Pudo, Paulina Skalska, Kasia Chobot, Klaudia Matura, Mariusz Okrajek, Aleksandra Weber, Paulina Witaszczyk, Mateusz Florczak, Michał Sokołowski, Konrad Basan, Mateusz Rymar, Piotr Dećko, Justyna Siwińska-Pszoniak, Dorota Pala, Anna Struska, Daria Cieślak, Seweryn Wróblewski, Michał Bienek, Tomasz Toczek
interior architects: Katarzyna Chobot, Mateusz Florczak, Maria Jaksik-Fikus, Klaudia Matura, Aleksandra Nowak, Mariusz Okrajek, Łukasz Pieszka, Jakub Pudo, Paulina Skalska, Tomasz Toczek, Aleksandra Weber, Paulina Witaszczyk
landscape architects: Katarzyna Chobot, Mateusz Florczak, Maria Jaksik-Fikus, Klaudia Matura, Aleksandra Nowak, Mariusz Okrajek, Łukasz Pieszka, Jakub Pudo, Paulina Skalska, Tomasz Toczek, Aleksandra Weber, Paulina Witaszczyk Seweryn Wróblewski, Krzysztof Kass (Kass – Architektura krajobrazu)
construction: Firma Inżynierska STATYK, Katowice
installations: CE Group, Gliwice; Instac, Stara Iwiczna
facade design: Studio Profil, Warszawa
fire protection: Janusz Siata
signage: Magdalena Odrzywolska, Joanna Katańska, Maria Jaksik-Fikus
signage realization: Kolektyff (stage 1), Studio Bardzo (stage 2)
investor: TDJ Estate Sp. z o.o.
usable floor area: 62 000 m²
design: 2016
realization: 1st tower: 2018; 2nd tower: 2022
certification: BREEAM Excellent, WELL – Health-Safety
awards: CIJ Awards Poland 2022 in category: Best National Office Development of the Year,
Prime Property Prize 2022 in Architecture category,
European Property Awards 2022 in Commercial High-rise Architecture category,
Honourable mention in the 4th edition of the “Object of the Year in Aluprof Systems 2022” competition
SARP (the Association of Polish Architects) Award of the Year 2022 in the category “office, education or administration building”,
2nd place and the audience award in the “Object of the Year in Aluprof systems” competition.
